UCLA linebacker Jayon Brown (12) tackles Texas A&M running back James White (20) for a loss during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS >> Defensive end Takkarist McKinley injured his groin in the first quarter of UCLA’s 31-24 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday in College Station. The senior battled a groin injury during training camp that kept him out for about a week-and-a-half.

McKinley’s injury, combined with a concussion that kept his replacement Deon Hollins at home, made for a very thin bench at the razor position. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said it hurt UCLA’s substitution patterns and forced players into positions they had not practiced in often.

McKinley returned late in the game, but could only play two plays before having to leave again.

“I don’t know what difference it would have made, I just know that we missed him,” head coach Jim Mora said. “We missed his speed off the edge.”

Said defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes: “Takk’s the most fiery guy on our defense and I love how he plays football. Very aggressive, very passionate about what he does. When you got a speed rusher like Takk and he’s not in, it definitely hurts.”

Nate Starks stays home

Running back Nate Starks, who was expected to play significant time against the Aggies in UCLA’s three-headed running back rotation, did not travel with the team to Texas due to a coaches’ decision, Mora said. Offensive coordinator and running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu declined to comment specifically on Starks’ absence, deferring to the head coach.

Sophomore Soso Jamabo shouldered the majority of the rushing load for the Bruins, rushing for 91 yards on 23 carries. Bolu Olorunfunmi had 48 yards and seven carries and a touchdown.

Starks is the only upperclassman of the running back group. His aggressive, tackle-breaking running style was missed by the Bruins, who only had 68 rushing yards through three quarters before mounting a comeback. UCLa finished with 125 rushing yards.

Bruins handle rowdy crowd

When asked of playing in front of a large crowd during the week, Josh Rosen commented that “after, like, 50,000, it all sounds the same — or doesn’t sound the same because really you don’t hear anything.” The Aggie faithful heard him loud and clear. Rosen, who threw three interpeptions in the game, was showered with chants of “fif-ty-thou-sand” in the second half.

“This is a football town and they’re a great crowd,” Rosen said. “But we played our butts off and I hope they can respect that. They cheered thir butts off and I can respect that.”

Despite the pointed cheers, Rosen said the offense wasn’t affected by the crowd noise. The Bruins had four penalties, but none on offense. The only mishap was on a silent count when the guard is supposed to tap the center to snap the ball and the referee tapped center Scott Quessenberry instead, which led to an unexpected snap late in the fourth quarter.

That play ended with Rosen throwing an interception off his back foot to Justin Evans, killing what could have been a game-winning drive in regulation.

“One thing we say in the quarterback room is don’t turn a car crash into a fatality, so that’s exactly what I did,” Rosen said. “And I can’t do it, especially in critical points of the game.”

Thuc Nhi Nguyen has covered UCLA for the Southern California News Group since 2016. A proud Seattle native, she majored in journalism and mathematics at the University of Washington. She likes graphs, animated GIFs and superheroes.